Best Bet | Race 8 #2 Morethannumberone

Must be with this progressive 5yo trained at the Gold Coast track by the shrewd Michael Costa. He was electric winning last start at this track and really should be unbeaten from three starts this campaign. Instead, he’s won two from three, with the blemish coming when caught wide two starts back at Doomben. The form out of that race looks good now with Lasting Kiss continuing to win. He has a wide gate here but there’s not a lot of speed and Andrew Mallyon knows the horse well. He can take his time to find a spot likely worse than midfield before weaving a passage in the straight.

Next best | Race 2 #1 Purrfect Deal

Hoping the Costa yard has a big day on the home track. This 5yo mare is second-up off a short break, which sets up purrfect (perfect) for her in this BM80 event. While only lightly-raced, she has won seven from 12 and deserves the big weight against a field. The handicapper allocated her 65kg but with the Jaden Lloyd claim will carry 62kg. It’s still a very big impost, but she has a 96 rating – a whopping 16 points above the next best rated horse in the race. I loved the way she found the line last start and she’ll benefit hugely from the run. Her form (especially in NSW in the Grafton Cup beating Laure Me In) is much too good for this and she can handle the extra weight.

Best each way | Race 9 #3 Tokoriki Lad

I was keen on this bloke first-up a fortnight ago at Eagle Farm and he performed OK. He settled last from a wide gate but ran past a couple late to finish fifth, beaten just under four lengths by Genzai the Wolf. The market told the story though as he was a notable drifter, suggesting he needed the run first-up. I really liked his trial before that run and I expect him to derive plenty of improvement ahead of this second-up assignment. He’s also got a good record at this Gold Coast track.